Emily K. Vraga

Emily K. Vraga

Associate Professor

Emily K. Vraga joined the faculty at George Mason University in 2012 as an assistant professor in the Department of Communication. She received her Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and spent one year as a Post-Doctoral Research Instructor in the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University.

Dr. Vraga's research focuses on how individuals respond to news and information about contentious political, scientific, and health issues, particularly when they encounter disagreement with their views via digital media. I am especially interested in (1) using news media literacy messages to limit biased processing and improve news consumption habits, (2) detecting and correcting misinformation via social media, and (3) encouraging attention to more diverse political content online. I prioritize using diverse methodologies - such as eye tracking, experiments, surveys, content analysis, and in-depth interviews - to better match an evolving media environment.

Tully, M., & Vraga, E. K. (2016). Examining the effectiveness of embedding news media literacy messages in a news aggregator. Grant amount: $23,202. Source: Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development at the University of Iowa. Role: PI

Courses Taught

COMM302: Foundations of Mass CommunicationCOMM327: Political CommunicationCOMM400: Communication Research MethodsCOMM615: Political CommunicationCOMM650: Graduate Communication Research MethodsCOMM690: New Media and DemocracyCOMM750: Graduate Research Methods IICOMM798: Communication Research Projects

Education

B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication, Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2005M.A. in Mass Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2008Ph.D. in Mass Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2011